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BLOOMSBURG — Throughout the regular season, Pine Grove leaned on the arm of Jamie Dinger.
Chelcy Clark, a commit to Monmouth, pitched for the Cardinals, but over the course of the season, she amassed just 38.1 innings, far less than the 79.1 innings from Dinger.
Part of the reason for the discrepancy was a back injury that Clark had to nurse throughout much of the early part of the season. Add in that Dinger was pitching at an incredible level, posting a 0.67 ERA this season, and the Cardinals often rode the hot hand.
However, since the beginning of the Schuylkill League playoffs, Pine Grove coach Ryan Leffler has been unleashing Clark, and the junior has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
In five playoff appearances, Clark has pitched 21.2 total innings, allowing just two runs, a minuscule 0.83 ERA, while striking out 21.
On Thursday, Clark pitched her best game yet of the season.
Against an undefeated Mifflinburg squad out of District 4, averaging 9.5 runs per game, Clark pitched a masterpiece in inducing soft contact and dancing around the little trouble she did allow.
The junior pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out one as Pine Grove defeated Mifflinburg 3-0 in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals at Central Columbia High School in Bloomsburg.
“It means a lot,” Clark said about her coach, Ryan Leffler, trusting her in the playoffs. “At the beginning of the season, I had a back injury, so I was just out for a little bit and couldn’t really do anything. But I put in the work, and now I’m finally seeing the results and getting it done.”
“I thought Chelcy threw the last three games very well,” Leffler said about Clark’s performances of late. “And I thought her speed would help a little bit, because she’s getting a lot of weak contact right now for us. She’s pounding the zone, which is what we’re asking her to do, and she did a hell of a job for us today.”
Pine Grove needed everything Clark could give them in the circle on Thursday as well, as the Cardinals’ own powerhouse offense was kept quiet for most of the day.
Through the first four innings, both sides exchanged zeros on the scoreboard while struggling to string together hits. Through four innings, both teams amassed just four hits.
Both teams had close calls in the process, both coming in the third inning.
After Callee Leffler narrowly missed a home run in the top of the third inning, Mifflinburg loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning before Chelcy Clark induced a weak ground ball back at her to record the final out of the inning.
When Leffler came to the plate for a third time in the fifth, Mifflinburg chose to attack the Florida State commitment, and Leffler, as she has done so many times this season, made them pay, launching a first-pitch home run over the centerfield fence to give the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage.
The home run continued what has been a video-game-like senior season for the Seminole. She’ll enter next Monday’s semifinals with a .646/.766/1.723 slash with 16 home runs and 48 RBI.
Since the beginning of the Schuylkill League playoffs, Leffler, one of the true greats in league history, has been otherworldly.
In seven postseason games, the senior centerfielder has nine hits in 17 at-bats while also reaching base nine times on walks. She’s also connected for five home runs while driving in 10.
Clark cruised through the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, with just one Wildcat baserunner reaching base on an error.
In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals added on a pair of much-needed insurance runs.
After Mallory Schneck reached on a single up the middle, Chelcy Clark moved Schneck over to second on a sacrifice bunt.
Schneck, however, moved to third on the play thanks to a Mifflinburg throwing error as the Wildcats looked to get her off guard at second.
Learning their lesson from the fifth inning, Mifflinburg intentionally walked Callee Leffler with two outs, setting up Hannah Aungst, who ripped a double into left field that scored both Schneck and Leffler, extending the Pine Grove lead to 3-0.
“Coming up to that at-bat, I pretty much knew that they were going to walk her because she hit a home run, and Callee’s been getting intentionally walked all year,” Aungst said about the at-bat. “I’ve been behind her, so I’m kind of used to it. I just really wanted to step up for my team. It felt great because those runs really helped us, and I didn’t really have a hit all game, so it was just great to finally have a hit.”
“She worked hard to get to that spot,” Ryan Leffler said about Aungst. “This team is very dangerous when we’re all hitting the ball on a high level… I’m just proud of Hannah, coming up big for us to give us some insurance.”
Mifflinburg threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but Clark, as she did all game, once again induced soft contact when she needed it the most with back-to-back weak flyballs to centerfield to end the game.
With the win, Pine Grove will move on to face District 2 champion Mid-Valley, which defeated District 1 champion Villa Joseph Marie 8-0 on Thursday afternoon at Parkland High School in Allentown.
Continue reading...
Chelcy Clark, a commit to Monmouth, pitched for the Cardinals, but over the course of the season, she amassed just 38.1 innings, far less than the 79.1 innings from Dinger.
Part of the reason for the discrepancy was a back injury that Clark had to nurse throughout much of the early part of the season. Add in that Dinger was pitching at an incredible level, posting a 0.67 ERA this season, and the Cardinals often rode the hot hand.
However, since the beginning of the Schuylkill League playoffs, Pine Grove coach Ryan Leffler has been unleashing Clark, and the junior has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
In five playoff appearances, Clark has pitched 21.2 total innings, allowing just two runs, a minuscule 0.83 ERA, while striking out 21.
On Thursday, Clark pitched her best game yet of the season.
Against an undefeated Mifflinburg squad out of District 4, averaging 9.5 runs per game, Clark pitched a masterpiece in inducing soft contact and dancing around the little trouble she did allow.
The junior pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out one as Pine Grove defeated Mifflinburg 3-0 in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals at Central Columbia High School in Bloomsburg.
“It means a lot,” Clark said about her coach, Ryan Leffler, trusting her in the playoffs. “At the beginning of the season, I had a back injury, so I was just out for a little bit and couldn’t really do anything. But I put in the work, and now I’m finally seeing the results and getting it done.”
“I thought Chelcy threw the last three games very well,” Leffler said about Clark’s performances of late. “And I thought her speed would help a little bit, because she’s getting a lot of weak contact right now for us. She’s pounding the zone, which is what we’re asking her to do, and she did a hell of a job for us today.”
Pine Grove needed everything Clark could give them in the circle on Thursday as well, as the Cardinals’ own powerhouse offense was kept quiet for most of the day.
Through the first four innings, both sides exchanged zeros on the scoreboard while struggling to string together hits. Through four innings, both teams amassed just four hits.
Both teams had close calls in the process, both coming in the third inning.
After Callee Leffler narrowly missed a home run in the top of the third inning, Mifflinburg loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning before Chelcy Clark induced a weak ground ball back at her to record the final out of the inning.
When Leffler came to the plate for a third time in the fifth, Mifflinburg chose to attack the Florida State commitment, and Leffler, as she has done so many times this season, made them pay, launching a first-pitch home run over the centerfield fence to give the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage.
The home run continued what has been a video-game-like senior season for the Seminole. She’ll enter next Monday’s semifinals with a .646/.766/1.723 slash with 16 home runs and 48 RBI.
Since the beginning of the Schuylkill League playoffs, Leffler, one of the true greats in league history, has been otherworldly.
In seven postseason games, the senior centerfielder has nine hits in 17 at-bats while also reaching base nine times on walks. She’s also connected for five home runs while driving in 10.
Clark cruised through the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, with just one Wildcat baserunner reaching base on an error.
In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals added on a pair of much-needed insurance runs.
After Mallory Schneck reached on a single up the middle, Chelcy Clark moved Schneck over to second on a sacrifice bunt.
Schneck, however, moved to third on the play thanks to a Mifflinburg throwing error as the Wildcats looked to get her off guard at second.
Learning their lesson from the fifth inning, Mifflinburg intentionally walked Callee Leffler with two outs, setting up Hannah Aungst, who ripped a double into left field that scored both Schneck and Leffler, extending the Pine Grove lead to 3-0.
“Coming up to that at-bat, I pretty much knew that they were going to walk her because she hit a home run, and Callee’s been getting intentionally walked all year,” Aungst said about the at-bat. “I’ve been behind her, so I’m kind of used to it. I just really wanted to step up for my team. It felt great because those runs really helped us, and I didn’t really have a hit all game, so it was just great to finally have a hit.”
“She worked hard to get to that spot,” Ryan Leffler said about Aungst. “This team is very dangerous when we’re all hitting the ball on a high level… I’m just proud of Hannah, coming up big for us to give us some insurance.”
Mifflinburg threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but Clark, as she did all game, once again induced soft contact when she needed it the most with back-to-back weak flyballs to centerfield to end the game.
With the win, Pine Grove will move on to face District 2 champion Mid-Valley, which defeated District 1 champion Villa Joseph Marie 8-0 on Thursday afternoon at Parkland High School in Allentown.
Continue reading...
